Psalm 22:20-21 uses images of savage animals to represent the forces threatening the sufferer's life. Christian interpretation has sometimes seen behind these human enemies the deeper spiritual conflict between God's Redeemer and the power of evil. The psalm itself, however, does not explicitly identify the lion or other animals with Satan.

Hebrews 2:14 teaches that through His death Christ destroyed the one who held the power of death, that is, the devil. This supplies a broader New Testament framework for understanding the crucifixion as a victory within the spiritual conflict first anticipated in Genesis 3:15. The relationship to Psalm 22:20-21 is therefore theological and typological rather than a direct fulfillment. The psalm portrays the righteous sufferer surrounded by deadly powers; the New Testament reveals that Christ's suffering and death ultimately defeat the deeper power of Satan and death.